1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid animal scent dispenser that can be carried on a user's person and is programmed to have a manual and automatic mode for spraying droplets of the liquid scent on the ground to conceal the user's scent trail and to attract animals towards him.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
Game animals such as deer and the like are known to be attracted during mating season by certain scents classified as pheromones. In the case of a doe, the pheromone is contained in her urine which is sprinkled on the ground as a means of notifying a buck of her availability. Chemists and others have developed both artificial and natural scents which substantially duplicate the smell of doe-in-estrus urine. Such liquid scents are offered in small quantities and at high cost.
In general game animals are sensitive to the odor of humans. Accordingly, hunters need to disguise their scent trail. In hunting deer, doe urine can be used for that purpose. A properly applied trail of doe urine, in addition to masking the hunter's scent, may also attract a buck towards the hunter who lies in wait.
One of the most common dispensers for liquid scent is a drag rag. For covering a trail with a drag rag, a hunter applies liquid scent to an absorbent pad which is then dragged behind him as he walks. By applying the scent in this manner, the scent rubs off on the trail and is applied in a manner simulating the natural method of scent presentation by a doe but as the rag is dragged, the scent is diluted. This results in a strong scent at the beginning and a weak scent trailing off at the end. If a buck crosses the hunter's trail, he is just as likely or more likely to head away from the hunter than towards him as the trail tapers stronger towards where the hunter began.
There are dispensers that hook to the branch of a tree for dripping liquid scent on the ground and there are dispensers that spray the liquid scent into the air where it dissipates quickly. Most such dispensers are designed for use after the hunter reaches his hunting site as opposed to covering his trail.
Some are activated with timers having a single mode of operation such that the liquid scent is distributed at preset intervals.
What is needed is a sophisticated liquid scent dispenser that can be carried on the person of a hunter, that is programmed to spray droplets of liquid scent on the hunter's trail and that can be used in a fixed location after he arrives at his hunting site. For the purpose of conserving the expensive liquid scent, the dispenser should be programmed in several modes, one of which is a manual mode that times the spraying to the hunter's walking rate in addition to an automatic mode which sprays the liquid scent at preset intervals. In the manual mode, if the hunter stops to rest, the dispenser should stop spraying, and if he changes his rate of walking, the dispenser should adjust the intervals between spraying to his walking rate. Insofar as known, no liquid scent dispenser has recognized the need and benefit of such a combination of features.